Three cowboys round up bulls after their purchase at an auction in Texas.

Cow looking for relationship: Loves sunset strolls in the pasture, adores hay breakfasts at dawn, enjoys afternoon naps in the shade of an oak tree, likes hanging out with my friends around the water tank.

Finding the right bull for a cattle herd isn’t quite as romantic as that. Sale brochures list the bull’s assets, which include parentage, size of various body parts, weight and statistics on various aspects of parenting success. Looks do count, too.

Livestock trailers are lined up at a cattle auction in Texas.

I recently went to a cattle auction at a ranch in northeast Texas, where about 80 bulls and 80 cows were auctioned. Buyers can read the details about each bull and cow online, in addition to a large, informative brochure. Each animal has its own video, which is displayed on several screens in the sale barn when the animal comes up for auction. The auction is a labor intensive endeavor, including the auctioneer staff, the barbecue lunch crew for the meal beforehand, people who create the extensive marketing materials, crew to care for the animals and cowboys to round up and load the animals. Buyers come from hundreds of miles away.